Abstract
Parental ethnotheories, or parents’ beliefs about their children’s development, provide a framework for cultural transmission of values and behaviors. In this study we aimed to understand Guatemalan mothers’ beliefs about children’s learning, what is “good” and “bad” behavior, and the desired qualities of grown-up children. Twenty-two low-income mothers (ages 20 through 70) were interviewed about their beliefs with respect to learning and desired qualities of children. Mothers reported that good children are obedient and respectful, behaviors that they learn from their parents. Good girls help with housework and boys study hard. Bad children are disobedient and disrespectful, behaviors that they learn from their friends or “on the street.” Grown-up children were expected to be hard-working and respectful. It will be important to understand how these parental beliefs are instantiated in mothers’ parenting behavior in the changing diverse context of Guatemalan society.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work [SPECIFY PERIOD OF TIME] after publication simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).